The present invention relates to a stretcher table assembly which may be easily and securably mounted to an ambulance stretcher and more particularly to a stretcher table assembly which is adapted to secure emergency medical equipment used in the care of an injured or ill patient quickly without the need of adjusting a strap or buckle, and which permits the equipment secured thereon to be upwardly tilted for the purpose of medical personnel obtaining a better view.
A typical ambulance stretcher must be relatively compact to fit within an ambulance or transport helicopter and to allow sufficient room for medical personnel to attend to the patient during transport. While most stretchers include various auxiliary fittings for attaching and carrying some emergency medical equipment, design constraints prevent the inclusion of easily accessible shelves or compartments on the stretcher for the transport of such emergency medical equipment. Emergency medical equipments, such as intravenous bags, oxygen tanks, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, and pumps, are commonly used in an emergency situation. This equipment must be transported with the patient and needs to be easily accessible. During an emergency situation, there are normally one or two emergency technicians available for the care and transport of the patient. The technicians are not only responsible for caring and transporting the patient, but also carrying, using and monitoring the emergency medical equipment. These responsibilities strain the capabilities of even the most talented technicians. Previously, technicians were forced to place most of the emergency medical equipment on the stretcher mattress and commonly on the patient himself. Such an arrangement is disadvantageous because the equipment is relatively inaccessible, is susceptible to interference by the patient, and may contact an injured area on the patient.
Prior art devices have been developed to address the problems associated with transporting emergency medical equipment with the patient. One prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,109, issued to Bucalo. The ""109 patent discloses a tubular framework that is attachable to a standard ambulance stretcher by known mechanical fittings, and supports at least one shelf above a patient on the stretcher. The shelf provides support for vital life support equipment that must accompany the patient as he or she is transported on the stretcher. Another prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,351, issued to Berta et al. The ""351 patent discloses a stretcher table comprising a horizontal tray for securing medical equipment used during an emergency supported between two downwardly extending legs that have attachment devices for securing the table to a stretcher. Although these stretcher tables have worked well for their intended purposes, they have been deficient in other areas.
The prior art method of securing medical equipment to these stretcher tables typically utilizes an adjustable strap or buckle. In some instances, securing medical equipment of different sizes together on the stretcher table is awkward. Further, it is often time-consuming when it is necessary to arrange the equipment""s position and to adjust straps or buckles in order to secure the equipment thereon. In other instances, due to its shape and size, certain medical equipment must be laid flat on the stretcher with its instrument panel and monitor facing upwards. Such placement of these pieces of equipment requires medical personnel to continuously get up in a moving vehicle to make observations, which increases the risk of injury to both the patient and the accompanying medical personnel.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a stretcher table assembly which may be easily and securably mounted to an ambulance stretcher and which is adapted to secure emergency medical equipment used in the care of an injured or ill patient quickly without the need of adjusting a strap or buckle, and which permits the equipment secured thereon to be upwardly tilted for the purpose of enabling a medical person to view such equipment without the need to change positions during patient transport.
The present invention meets the aforementioned need by providing a stretcher table assembly which may be easily and securably mounted to an ambulance stretcher and which is adapted to secure emergency medical equipment used in the care of an injured or ill patient quickly without the need of adjusting a strap or buckle, and which permits the equipment secured thereon to be upwardly tilted for the purpose of enabling medical personnel to obtain a better view of the equipment without changing positions.
The stretcher table assembly includes a tabletop or support surface of spaced anchor holes arranged in a grid for fixedly receiving a plurality of anchoring devices thereon. A locking member, which is provided to each piece of emergency medical equipment, engages one of the anchoring devices affixed to the tabletop, thereby removably affixing the emergency medical equipment to the tabletop at a particular position thereon quickly and easily. The equipment can be repositioned on the tabletop surface simply by relocating the anchoring devices to another location thereon. The anchoring devices prevent the emergency medical equipment from sliding off the tabletop surface when in an upwardly-tilted position.
The tabletop is hinged to a support frame to permit upward tilting of the tabletop for the purpose of medical personnel obtaining a better view of emergency medical equipment secured thereon. A pair of arms is rotatably mounted at their first ends to sides of the tabletop and slidably mounted at their second ends within an opposing pair of slots provided in sides of the support frame. The pair of arms releasably secures the tabletop in an inclined position. Foldable legs having first and second ends, are rotatably coupled at their first ends to the support frame. Each leg is provided with a pair of securing feet which stand upon the rails of the emergency stretcher. The pair of legs each further includes a securing mechanism positioned generally adjacent the second end of each leg to releasably attach each leg to a respective rail of the emergency stretcher.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the stretcher table assembly includes a support frame having first and second ends opposing each other. A substantially planar support surface is pivotally connected to the support frame and is adapted to be releasably secured in an inclined position. A first leg having first and second ends is provided, with the first end of the first leg coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the first end of the support frame; the first leg further comprises an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the first leg and a first securing mechanism adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher. The assembly further includes a second leg having first and second ends, with the first end of the second leg coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the second end of the support frame; the second leg further comprises an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the second leg and a second securing mechanism adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the stretcher table assembly includes a substantially planar support frame having first and second ends opposing each other. A substantially planar support surface is pivotally connected to the support frame and is adapted to be releasably secured in an inclined position. A first leg having first and second ends is provided, with the first end coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the first end of the support frame. The first leg further includes a slot, an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the first leg, and a securing mechanism slidably engaged to the slot, with the securing mechanism adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher. A second leg having first and second ends is also provided, with the first end coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the second end of the support frame. The second leg further includes a slot, an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the second leg, and a securing mechanism slidably engaged to the slot, with the securing mechanism adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the stretcher table assembly includes a substantially planar support frame having first and second ends opposing each other. A substantially planar support surface is pivotally connected to the support frame and is adapted to be releasably secured in an inclined position. A first leg having first and second ends is provided, with the first end coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the first end of the support frame. The first leg further includes a slot, and an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the first leg. A securing mechanism slidably engages the slot, and includes a hook member and an adjuster tab. The securing mechanism is adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher. A second leg having first and second ends is also provided, with the first end coupled to the support frame generally adjacent the second end of the support frame, the second leg further includes a slot, and an attachment member positioned generally adjacent the second end of the second leg. A securing mechanism slidably engages the slot, and includes a hook member and an adjuster tab. The securing mechanism is adapted to be releasably and securely attached to a respective rail of a stretcher, wherein the securing mechanisms of the first and second legs are secured to the stretcher by sliding the securing mechanisms in the slots of the first and second legs until the hook members are firmly engaged around the respective rails on the stretcher. The hook members are secured by rotating the adjuster tabs to a securing position.